How to Buy Moissanite Crystal Minerals

Natural Moissanite is a gift from the stars. Science never stops, though, and today commercially produced Moissanite Crystals are available for all types of uses. Moissanite closely resembles a diamond, its use as a gemstone has been applauded. Select the right crystal by using the following steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Check for color. The clearer the better in this case. Before buying moissanite, view the crystal under ultraviolet light. However, it's best to see what the crystal looks like under natural sunlight.

2. Judge its clarity. Like diamonds, moissanite has cracks, flaws, and color spots on the inside. These naturally occurring flaws reduce the value in the market.

3. Find out its size. The size of a diamond is judged by carats, in moissanite it is measured in millimeters; as with diamonds, size is important.

4. Look for fire in the crystal. Fire is the amount of sparkle the crystal holds. Most moissanite is priced by the amount of fire. More fire conveys into a higher price with merchants.

Tips & Warnings

• Technically you cannot use the scale that is used for diamonds; but, if you could most moissanite crystals for jewellery would be in the I-J color range, with some claiming as high as D-E. Moissanite can be green tinted, clear, yellow, or appear grey.
• There are two schools of thought about fire. Some believe that the more sparkle,or fire, the better. Others feel that this same sparkle cheapens the look to that of a disco ball.
• As technology improves so do the stones. Beware of buying older stones as they may have more visible flaws (clarity) and be less clear.